Phrase guide

bad news

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

News of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Yes, we just heard the bad news yesterday. We're so sorry for your loss.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: good news

2

noun

Meaning 2

An irritating, troublesome or harmful object, situation or individual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

  • Mark my words: that guy is bad news.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bad business, bad apple, rotten apple, bad seed, bad egg

Antonyms: good news, breath of fresh air, good egg

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գույժ (guyž) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Asturian: males noticies — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Basque: berri txarrak — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Chinese Mandarin: 壞消息 /坏消息 (huài xiāoxi) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: slecht nieuws — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: jobstijding — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: onheilsbericht — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: onheilsmare — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: onheilstijding — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Finnish: huonot uutiset — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • French: mauvaises nouvelles — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • German: schlechte Nachrichten — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • German: Hiobsbotschaft — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • German: schlechte Neuigkeiten — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Hungarian: rossz hír — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Irish: drochscéal — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Italian: brutta notizia — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Italian: cattiva notizia — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Japanese: 悪いニュース (warui nyūsu) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Kazakh: жаманат (jamanat) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Polish: złe wieści — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Polish: zła wiadomość — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Portuguese: má notícia — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Russian: плохи́е но́вости (ploxíje nóvosti) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Russian: плоха́я но́вость (ploxája nóvostʹ) — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Serbo-Croatian: лоше вести — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Serbo-Croatian: loše vesti — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Sicilian: malanova — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Spanish: malas noticias — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Vietnamese: tin buồn — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Vietnamese: tin dữ — news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events
  • Dutch: slecht nieuws — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • French: casse-pied — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • French: emmerdeur — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • French: emmerdement — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • French: fouteur de merde — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • German: Störenfried — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • Portuguese: problema — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • Portuguese: incomodação — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • Portuguese: encrenca — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • Spanish: embrollón — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person
  • Spanish: camorrista — irritating, troublesome of harmful thing, situation or person